Rufus Wainwright: "Rufus Wainwright" (Dreamworks)

Life can be so cruel. Imagine, you're singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III and you end up producing a son who sounds more like a cross between Randy Newman and Harry Nilson! That, folks, is the dominant feature of this debut album which comes complete with rave reviews and the seal of approval from heavyweight producers such as Van Dyke Parks. Even so, it is too derivative to be compelling, musically. Lyrically, tracks such as Foolish Love, April Fools and In My Arms will probably prove to be irresistible to romantics and to those who love lyrics that casually refer to the fact that "Callas sang a lovely `Norma' " and have the narrator admitting "I may not be so manly". Interesting and cute but nothing more. Joe Jackson

Imogen Heap: "I Megaphone" (Almo)

There is something fascinating about Imogen Heap. Yes, she may sound a bit too much like Kate Bush and Tori Amos and have an album cover that looks like it slipped from an Alanis Morissette video, but beyond these obvious comparisons burns a talent aching to be born. I Megaphone is a testimony to this aspiration. Tender, tragic, vengeful tracks such as Sleep, Useless and Getting Scared, respectively, also define their own space, to a great degree. More than that, such songs hint at demons Imogen Heap has yet to unleash. But the real power and poetry probably stems from her semi-strangulated cries, the rush of crushed chords on the key board, the way her voice soars without restraint. Imogen has already been largely dismissed by many critics. I suspect that in time she will make them eat their words. Joe Jackson

Various Artists: "The Avengers: The Album" (Atlantic)

The makers of The Avengers, which opens in cinemas today, have been tight-lipped about its content - but judging by its techno-centric soundtrack, we needn't expect a kitschy, Austin Powers-style, Swinging Sixties parody. The music on offer here follows the electronic lead of previous television remakes like Saint and Mission Impossible, tossing in lots of beats and bleeps and loading up with heavyweight names; Annie Lennox, Grace Jones and Iggy Pop. Suggs, Stereo MCs and BabyBird handle the British end of operations, while US million-seller Sugar Ray and Mercury Music Prize winner Roni Size deploy some newfangled drum'n'bass gadgetry. The Avengers theme, reworked by Marius De Vries, sounds suitably updated if a little over-dramatic. Finally, Sinead O'Connor fronts a loose combination known as Ashtar Command, singing her little heart out for MI5. Kevin Courtney.